The Memphis Flyer reports that the plans for Tom Lee Park will be unveiled this week, and they sound ambitious. There will be trees and rolling hills, and there will be a new “engagement center” at the north end of the park. The engagement center will open this week and will be a place people can go to learn about the changes. Memphis River Parks Partnership staff will be there on Wednesdays and Saturdays to talk about the changes with anyone who has questions. Construction on the park is scheduled to begin in June and wrap up in 2020, so it sounds like Music Fest and BBQ Fest will not be affected this year.
The grand opening of the engagement center is Saturday, February 2., from noon to 3 PM at Beale Street Landing. They’ll have a scale model of the soon-to-be-improved park, and there will even be a virtual reality experience complete with goggles.
Oscar Meyer is hiring drivers to drive the famous Wienermobile. The drivers would not only drive but would serve as marketing and PR people for the brand’s hot dogs, visiting grocery stores, charity events, and veterans’ events. I have already informed my friends Rahul and Tony about this career opportunity. I know they’d love getting paid to handle a large wiener.
There will be an exploration of the plagues of early Memphis at Elmwood Cemetery on Saturday, February 23. This 50 minute, indoor, seated presentation will discuss the various causes of death of the people who settled Memphis. Beverages and light snacks will be served. $20 to attend and this is an 18 and up event.
Bianca from the Vegan Crunk blog has a review of the Beyond Burger, the new burger at Huey’s using a vegan patty. She notes that the black bean burger, which is so good that even I prefer it over a beef patty at times, is safe for vegetarians but not vegans because it contains eggs.
Lifehacker has an explanation of why 5% beer gets you so much more drunk than 4% beer.
Furloughed bison are pouring back into national parks now that the government shutdown has ended.
Broke Tall Folk and Grant Holt play the Tin Roof this afternoon at 2.
The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team hosts UCF at 3 this afternoon at FedExForum.
I’m getting the phone’s battery and external charger charged all the way up this morning, because tonight, I’ve got some watchin’ to do! The 2019 Royal Rumble pay-per-view airs on the WWE Network this evening. It’s especially exciting because unlike most years, there is no clear favorite as to who will win the men’s or women’s Rumble. Here are my predictions:
Men’s Rumble winner: Bobby Lashley, who will go on to challenge Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania for the WWE Universal championship. Vince McMahon loves to match two powerhouses against one another, and remember, Lashley represented Donald Trump in the 2006 WrestleMania main event which culminated in Trump shaving McMahon’s head. Because of that, he’s got more star power than anyone on the babyface side of the male RAW roster – well, except for John Cena, but I can’t see him winning.
As for the women: I predict Becky Lynch will lose her Smackdown women’s championship match to Asuka. However, she will then declare herself an entrant in the women’s Rumble, which she will go on to win. Although a member of the Smackdown brand, Lynch will have the right to challenge for either women’s title, and she will choose to face off against RAW women’s champion Ronda Rousey in what will be the first women’s match to ever main-event WrestleMania.
Other: I think Shane McMahon will turn heel, setting up a match between him and The Miz at Mania.
That’ll do it for now. I’m leading off this morning at D-RANKS with B-RAD at Pontotoc Lounge, where the vibe should be a good deal more mature than usual because Rahul and Tony are out of town. Then a little before 3 I will wander down to Max’s Sports Bar to watch the Tigers game. If I’m reading the calendar correctly, this is a great weekend to be at Max’s because I don’t anticipate having to deal with crazy. Back tomorrow with more news.